Injured Foot - pls advise

[JenD]

Hi all - I have a 10 month old male rattie who somehow injured his back left foot. He is not putting any weight on it at all and is not grabbing with it (it's kind of limp), but he can move it or stretch his toes though he prefers not to. I have the rat care guide and gave him a bit of arnica as advised. It also mentioned no need to separate him into a different cage. Anyone have any other advice on making him more comfortable? Do I need to take him to the vet? The book indicated even a broken leg will heal itself (unless it requires a pin). DH thinks it's a sprain of some kind. I'm worried about my baby :sad3: He is eating fine and is even climbing, though he is trying hard not to put any weight on that foot. He was just grooming his toes on it. Doesn't *appear* to be in a lot of pain, but is clearly uncomfortable...advice?

Thanks in advance for your help...

 

[JenD]

p.s. I did inspect the bottom of his foot - no bumblefoot or anything, but it is swollen near the heal area. No blood or puss or lacerations - just swelling. He is spending more time resting and lying down rather than moving too much though he does go up and down the ramps in the cage. Anything I need to watch out for or be concerned about? Any additional ways to make him more comfy? Thought about giving him a bit of baby tylenol...advice?

Thanks!
Jen

 

[ema-leigh]

I would guess its a sprain, its a fairly common injury in a rat. The only thing you can do is try make his cage 1 level and easy access to food and water. You could also give childs liquid pain relief medicine to help with the pain. You should see an improvment in the following three days.

A broken foot you can normally tell, you can sometimes see the bones at an unnatural angle, lots of dark bruising and it would be extremly swollen. The rat wouldnt want to put any weight on the broken leg, and most just sit puffy and lethargic looking.

 

[jorats]

Yep, very common in rats. I wouldn't separate him from his buddies either, that can cause more stress than good.
You are doing everything right... keep an eye on it. It may swell up really really big, don't panic, but if the swelling doesn't go back down within 4 to 5 day then it's time to see the vet.

 

[JenD]

Thanks guys. It looks about the same today and he's hobbling around like a 3 legged critter. He definitely looks more puffy due to how he's holding his body. I bought one of those doggie beds for small animals (he barely fits in it - giant man rat!) hoping it would help to rest on something very cushy...I'll keep a close eye on him and if it doesn't go down in a few days, I'll take him in. Thanks all!

 

[JenD]

Update: Jo, you are right - it is swelling much bigger than yesterday and he's squeaking if the others come too close, poor dear. He is eating and sleeping fine and amazingly hobbling around quite well in spite of the injury. He's having fun gnawing on some cardboard boxes at the moment, so he's hanging in there! Thanks for preparing me that it would swell even more. You're right on.

 

[jorats]

It's on cue... it might swell to the point that you see the foot being wet, that's because the skin is breaking, it's a normal course... it should start to go down in swelling in a few days. It might also turn purple and even have some black area, that will go away as well.

 

[JenD]

Gosh - it looks really huge today and quite painful. I'll try to download a picture. I am assuming this is normal, but if it looks unusual, LMK and I'll get him into the vet asap...



Here he is in his new bed (which he barely fits into...)



Thanks for your opinion...I'll try to get a clearer shot of the foot when he gets up next. I hate to disturb him...

 

[crumbilina]

Awwww Poor dear....

I hope his foot recovers soon.

I can't offer advice, but the last time I dealt with a foot injury, I gave her (my rattie) some liquid children's advil and she was ok in about a week. Just keep an eye on it, something I'm sure you are already doing.

 

[SQ]

Pain meds such as metacam would be good as it will also help with swelling.

Swelling is normal but can be very dangerous if it gets really bad.
Keep an eye on the swelling and if it gets too bad you will want to try to get it down.

 

[moneener]

Injured feet are scary! I remember Darwin got an injury to a hind foot and it was a weekend so I was just bawwwwling not knowing what to do. Luckily my vet was the one on call, told me BREATHE, get the metacam and relax It healed fine. Years later he now has a bit of bumblefoot on that leg, not sure if its got anything to do with that history but maybe its something to look out for.

 

[jorats]

Yep, that looks pretty normal for now. He's such a dear.

 

[JenD]

Thanks everyone. I managed to get a few better shots of it this afternoon with the help of my daughter. The first one is a bit blury, but is this swelling still OK?





Loving the new site, btw...

Oh and Jo, it is starting to look a tiny bit wet (like little droplets) so thanks for warning me about that! Hoping this is the worst of it and if it changes color (black/purple) that is just the healing. Still don't know how he hurt himself for sure, but I lowered some wooden ledges that they like to sleep on so he won't have to put too much strain on his good leg.

 

[jorats]

I've had rats which swelled way worse than that. So, so far so good. It should start to go down in a few days.

 

[JenD]

Thanks, Jo :hugs:

 

[JenD]

Ok guys - his foot looks much better. The swelling has gone way down. He got little black bumps on the bottom which are healing. He is putting a bit of weight on it, but not too much. He is very *gimpy* now. His toes are held together (straight), rather than spread out like normal and he's not grabbing anything with them. Is this normal? I am assuming it is and his foot will return to normal functioning, but thought I'd touch base to make sure.

Again, I appreciate all the support from this amazing and informative board! :heart:

Jen

 

[jorats]

It sounds normal still... Is the foot still very warm to the touch?

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Poor guy...fingers crossed for a full recovery.

 

[Fidget]

Sounds like he got a pretty bad owie, but is on the mend, I sure hope so. There's nothing wrong with a 'gimpy' walk even if it lasts, as long as he can get around fine without pain it will just add to his charm. My 2 with permanent head tilt were just the cutest things... I hope he's a-ok. If he doesn't heal perfect you might discuss it with the vet tho, he may have issues with arthritis when he gets older..

 

[JenD]

Sorry for the delay in my response (my mil is in town) - but it doesn't feel warm anymore to the touch and the last of the black on the bottom of his foot is gone. He *can* grab a bit with it & is putting a bit more weight on it now, but his toes are just real straight and almost stiff. So maybe he will have arthritis - thanks for the warning on that one. He's such a good boy. Don't know if this is part of the healing, but I swear he was ravenously hungry during the injury. He always seemed to be munching on something, even though he was very sedentary. And it was hard because he couldn't scratch his left side, so I spent a lot of time gently giving him scritches for his itches and I could tell he appreciated that and *knew* we were trying to give him loving care. The other three also pitched in and left him alone to heal, but then would spend time grooming him, which he liked. Ratties are such good buds to each other :cuddle:

Jen